Restaurant Review: The Steel Plow

Friday night was half date night/work night. My speech team ended their season with a wonderful event called dessert theatre. As the name implies, you get dessert and a show. The kids perform some of the highlighted performances from the year, and in between pieces, they come around and serve plates of dessert and coffee. The whole event becomes a lovely capstone on a great season.

Since I was in the neighborhood for the event already, Mitch and I decided to check out the recently opened Steel Plow Burger Company in Moline. This is truly an Illinois-side of the river treat. The owners opened in the old Governor’s location and have completely redone the place. Though the dining room is a little small, they even renovated the old patio to be enclosed, weather-proof seating to accommodate more guests. There is an airy and light feeling to the whole place with lots of creams and whites offset by dark gray accents. The guest can see right into the kitchen and bar which makes the whole thing feel more relaxed. Come early, though. When we got there at 5 pm on a Friday, we got one of the last open tables already. They had a line out the door all night!

Our service and food were exceptional. The burger toppings here rival any gourmet chain you can encounter at a very reasonable price (about $12 a meal). My burger, pictured above, was cooked perfectly. I chose a spin-off on the BBQ bacon burger, with onion strings, bacon, sharp cheddar, and a smoky, tangy sauce. Mitch got the Corleone burger which was piled high with Italian beef, giardiniera, and provolone cheese (serve with au jus). Both burgers were served with a mountain of their “mixed fries.” Seriously, get the fries. It is a combination of GIANT swivel cut curly fries, seasoned waffle fries, regular fries, and sweet potato fries. It was perfect and every restaurant should do this!

We enjoyed all of this with a refreshing beer selection without breaking the bank. If you are in the Moline area, definitely check out Steel Plow- you won’t be disappointed!